Communication patterns in the acculturation process for Nigerian foreign students

The purpose of this study was to develop an index of acculturation which could then be used to examine communication patterns in the acculturation process for Nigerian foreign students. Communication and acculturation are viewed as interdependent processes that cannot be divorced from each other. The two processes are natural and inevitable for any person who has been socialized in one culture and then moves to another (new culture). The approach to developing the Acculturation Index, therefore, was to measure empirically both: (1) the extent to which an individual Nigerian foreign student has internalized certain aspects of the American way of life, and (2) the extent to which his/her foreign (Nigerian) way of life is different from that of Americans. Three hundred and sixty-seven Nigerian foreign students completed and returned a survey questionnaire consisting of items which tapped communication and demographic variables. Nine research hypotheses were generated and tested with appropriate statistical procedures. The results of this study demonstrate that differences exist among Nigerian foreign students in their attempts to acculturate in the United States. The majority believe that discrimination (no matter what form it takes) is the major stumbling block that separates the two cultures. This belief is shared by Nigerians sampled from the two different types of schools (black and white). This study concludes that Nigerian foreign students need to be more active in establishing good working relationships with American students. The non-participative attitude Nigerian students exhibit toward membership in various American organizations explains a lot about their general perception of the host culture. The only way a sojourner (Nigerian students in particular) can become an integral part of the mainstream is through efforts to work within the system.